Long-established Safer Internet Day makes way for the Media Skills Week - Young people's media culture as centre of attention in 2013

Long-established Safer Internet Day makes way for the Media Skills Week - Young people's media culture as centre of attention in 2013

Published 01.02.2013

Schools are already familiar with the Safer Internet Day the Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority (FICORA) has, for as many as 10 years, arranged for students and their parents. It was in 2004 when the Safer Internet Day was held for the first time. Gradually, the day grew into a week-long event consisting of various happenings from seminars to concerts.

Now the event with a long history has come to an end, and is replaced by a reformed theme week known as the Media Skills Week. It is coordinated by the Finnish Centre for Media Education and Audiovisual Media.

The first Media Skills Week will be held from 4 to 10 February, simultaneously with the Newspaper Week held by the Finnish Newspapers Association. The new concept offers schools an opportunity to not only raise issues about the internet, but also about other media.

The aim of the Media Skills Week is to enhance the media skills of children and the young, encourage parents to discuss about the use of media at homes, and provide schools an opportunity to promote media education. The Media Skills Weeks is part of the international Safer Internet Day theme day. This year, the main theme of the Media Skills Week revolves around internet user rights and responsibilities.

The Media Skills Week is a joint project of associations, service providers, organisations within the public administration and media companies. Some of the cooperation partners arrange own events during the Media Skills Week. Also, FICORA participates actively in the Media Skills Week. For more information (in Finnish) about the event, go to www.mediataitoviikko.fi

The close cooperation between FICORA and the Finnish Centre for Media Education and Audiovisual Media is based on a fresh division of responsibilities. Supervision duties related to television operations and child welfare were transferred from FICORA to the Finnish Centre for Media Education and Audiovisual Media when it was founded in 2012. The legislative duties of the Finnish Centre for Media Education and Audiovisual Media include, for example, the promotion of a safe media environment for children. FICORA is responsible for the supervision and promotion of communications markets and services, in the interests of the general public, business and industry.